“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5)
David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote about the tragic human condition of the slavery to sin. None of us chose our first owner. Sin claimed every one of us from birth before we ever had a say in the matter. Think about that reality—the fact that every person walking this earth starts out already owned. Not owned by God, not yet. Owned by sin. Paul described this condition when he told the Ephesians what we were like before we knew Christ.
“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)
Dead. Not sick, not struggling, not simply making poor choices—but absolutely dead. A soul and spirit that have not experienced the new birth are dead to God and still under the ownership of sin, with no power within themselves to break free. This is why the unsaved person doesn’t actually have a choice in the matter of who they belong to. Apart from salvation in Christ, there is no third option. You either belong to the enemy of God, or you belong to God. There is no neutral ground, no in-between ownership, and no version of freedom available outside of the One who purchased it. Jesus made this ownership language explicit when He spoke to the religious leaders of His day.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36)
Free indeed. Not free in theory—but right now, the moment we are born again. Paul explained this transfer of ownership beautifully in his letter to the Romans.
“Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:16-18)
He goes on to describe exactly WHAT our old ownership under sin actually produced in our lives.
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:20-22)
Shame and death—that was the fruit of the old ownership. I remember seasons in my own life when I felt the weight of that fruit, even after I was already born again. Once we belong to Christ, our born-again soul and spirit are no longer under sin’s authority. Sin cannot own what Christ has already purchased. Paul reminded the Corinthians of the price that was paid.
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
So, here is the question I often ask myself: If Christ already bought me back, why do I sometimes find myself walking right back into the old slave quarters?
The answer is the flesh. Not our born-again soul, not our spirit that now communes with God—but our flesh. The flesh is not regenerated. It remains the old, familiar entry point for the enemy and for the pull of this world’s culture, and it will gladly march us straight back toward our old owner if we let it. This is exactly what Paul warned the Galatian believers about.
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5:1)
Entangled again. That word “again” tells us that this is a real danger for people who are already free. We can willingly and foolishly, walk back into chains that Christ already broke off of us. Peter described this tragic pattern with unflinching honesty.
“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.” (2 Peter 2:19)
Whatever overcomes you owns you. That principle hasn’t changed since the Garden. So, what does it look like when a born-again believer starts drifting back toward the old owner? Paul gave us an unmistakably clear list and called these things “the works of the flesh:”
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
If you read through that list and feel the weight of it settling over your own life, take heart. That is not who you are anymore if you have been born again. That is simply the flesh reaching for its old owner. You do not have to answer that call. Jesus already conquered death and every ramification of the flesh’s works. The power that raised Him from the grave now lives inside every believer, and that power is greater than any pull the flesh can exert.
Freedom, though, was never meant to mean doing whatever we want. Paul was careful to clarify that point right alongside his teaching on liberty.
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)
True freedom isn’t lawlessness. True freedom is found in the fruit of the Spirit, and honestly, I cannot think of anything more liberating or lovely than the experience of the fruit God produces in a life surrendered to Christ:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
Is there anything more freeing than receiving love from Christ and pouring that same love out on others? Or than carrying a peace that makes no earthly sense in the middle of real trouble? Or giving genuine compassion to someone who’s hurting, and having the joy of watching a soul step into God’s kingdom? That is what freedom actually feels like. Not chains loosened for a moment, but a whole new life given—a whole new Owner claiming us in love rather than chaining us in condemnation.
If you are born again, you do not have to be a slave to the works of the flesh!
Jesus paid the price. He conquered death. He broke the chains. And He has promised, without exception, that if He makes you free, you are free indeed.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the ultimate price for my freedom. Forgive me for the times I wander back toward my old chains, entangling myself again with a yoke You already broke off of me. Remind me daily that my flesh does not have to define or control me and that my born-again soul and spirit belong wholly to You. Teach me to walk in the fruit of Your Spirit—in love, in joy, in peace, and in self-control—so that the freedom You purchased for me is visible in how I live every single day. I am not my own. I was bought at a price. Let my life glorify You in gratitude for that truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
